Posted by admin | Posted on 25-03-2011
Category : Addiction, Drug Abuse, Family, Heroin, Recovery, Treatment
There are a number of indicators that can point to drug abuse and to addiction. Loved ones can play an integral role in the process of intervention and seeking out drug rehab treatment for someone they care about. Knowing the indicators can be helpful in creating an early intervention on the abuse of illicit and prescription drugs. An early intervention can reduce much of the pain, struggles, health problems and even death that can stem from substance abuse. The drug rehab blog discusses areas of indication that can’t point drug abuse and problems with addiction.
Change of Behaviors/Habits - Perhaps the biggest and broadest indicator is the rapid and erratic changes to behaviors and habits. Eating habits, sleeping habits and normal daily habits can go through a significant change. Personality and attitudes can also undergo a change. Someone who is generally motivated about things can lose interest, become apathetic and complacent. Changes in behavior can also result in the individual becoming much more reclusive and private. This can be a mean of protecting the habits of drug abuse. The significant change in moods is also an indicator. The individual can be more moody and sensitive. The person can have more violent behavior swings, or can become more paranoid. Mood swings can also involve the individual being unusually happy or silly.
Change in Physical Appearance - Indication of drug abuse can also be found through changes in physical appearance. The abuse of drugs can bring with it unexplained weight loss or gain. Personal hygiene and grooming habits can rapidly change. Indication of using needles can appear with track marks and with bruises in unusual places on the arm or leg. These bruises can be covered up by long clothing, which can be an indicator if the individual is not one who usually wears such clothing. There are also other various physical signs that an individual is using drugs, such as red eyes, dilated pupils, puffy face and unusual skin tones.
The Need or Theft of Money - This is an obvious indicator, but those who are addicted to a drug will go to great lengths to fuel their habit of using. This includes begging for and stealing money, and also theft of valuable items to obtain money.
Discovering Drug Paraphernalia - Drugs can require different items for use depending on how they are introduced to the body. Syringe needles, pipes, tubes, burnt spoons, wrapping papers, bongs and razor blades are all different types of drug paraphernalia.
When it is a drug addiction, perhaps the best means to help them is with the efforts of a treatment program and drug rehab. Addiction is a treatable condition and many have shown a remarkable ability to overcome their struggles with substance abuse and with addiction. A drug rehab stay can be a means to getting an individual off of their drug of choice and prepared with skills for recovery.
Posted by admin | Posted on 25-10-2010
Category : Opioid, Pain Management, Prescription Drugs, Treatment
Prescription drug addiction is a growing problem in our country because many people don’t take the abuse of prescription drugs as seriously as they should. Prescription drug abuse can lead to serious health consequences and addiction if left untreated. The first step is knowing the signs of prescription drug addiction so that you can get the help you need.
Top 12 Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction
- Continued use of the drug, even after the pain it was prescribed for has ceased.
- Complaining about vague symptoms to get more medication.
- Lack of interest in treatment options other than medications.
- Mood and behavior changes, such as becoming hostile, volatile, agitated or anxious.
- Secretive or deceitful behavior in order to obtain the drug, such as having multiple prescriptions from more than one doctor or buying it off the street.
- Using prescription pills prescribed for others.
- Physical withdrawal symptoms when doses are missed. Flu-like symptoms such as joint and muscle aches, night sweats and insomnia are very common.
- Using more than the recommended amount of medication.
- Developing a high tolerance so that more pills are needed for the same desired effect.
- Withdrawal from friends, family and society, especially if people close to say you have a problem.
- Financial problems associated with having to purchase more and more pills.
- Past history of drug addiction.
If you or someone you love is misusing prescription drugs, treatment can help you break your addiction and regain control over your life. Call or email Northwest Center for Change for more information on how we can help.
Posted by admin | Posted on 25-10-2010
Category : Family, Interventions, Recovery, Treatment
Addiction is a progressive illness. Left untreated it will only get worse and can be fatal. The destructive forces of addiction have ruined marriages, careers, parent/child bonds and friendships. The positive news is that addiction is a very treatable illness. However, too often, family members and concerned others are left frustrated and overwhelmed by the consequences of the addictive process.
Generally, the network of concerned others in an addict’s life feel that they have made repeated and extensive efforts to provide the addicted person with support emotionally, physically and financially. When such efforts fail, they are often left feeling discouraged and powerless to facilitate any positive change in the life of their addicted loved one and sometimes in their own. Many families believe that they must wait until the addicted loved one “hits a bottom” before they will be willing to receive help.
Professionally facilitated interventions have been highly successful in assisting family and concerned others in developing and implementing a productive plan to help the addict make the important decision to seek treatment. A well-planned intervention has the effect of “raising the bottom” for the addicted person by bringing into focus the severity of addiction in the individual’s life. A step-by-step process of cooperatively working with the addicted person’s support system can be just the experience that will “tip the scale” for the addicted person in making that important first step.
Northwest Center for Change can help get your loved one into proper treatment and provide a continuum of services to help build a strong foundation for long-term recovery.
Posted by admin | Posted on 25-10-2010
Category : Family, Recovery, Treatment
Chemical dependency not only impacts the dependent person, but also has a crippling effect on their family. The coping strategies adopted by families are designed to keep the addiction a secret, to make excused for it or to deny the problem exists.
Purposefully forgetting is one unhealthy coping mechanism for dysfunctional families. Good times are “enshrined” and bad times are forgotten – it’s a survival technique that perpetuates ongoing unhealthy behaviors where secrecy and denial are the rule. Family members learn not to talk about their reality, they learn not to trust because even though they see their life is not normal, the rest of the family pretends and insists that it is. Individual family members learn to repress and deny their feelings because when they give voice to them, they are discounted.
In chemically dependent families, members learn that they physical, emotional, and intellectual boundaries are permeable – sometimes non-existent. They begin to focus outward for definition and validation which impedes the development of boundaries and a healthy sense of self.
The family environment is a powerful influence in recovery. Challenging families to honestly work towards understanding themselves by addressing: relationships, intimacy, boundary setting and self-care is not always easy for both the person in treatment and family, but its rewards are many.
At Northwest Center for Change, we can help families in recovery. We offer Family Groups and Educational Workshops that inform and provide a safe place to discuss issues. Please email us or call us at 425-827-2401 to find out more about our treatment services.
